Happy Halloween! With this week being Halloween, I wanted to create a cocktail perfect for beggars night, after the kids finally crash from their sugar high, and it’s time for you to sit back, relax, and raid their candy!

For this drink, I wanted to avoid the standard fall apple and pumpkin flavors and didn’t want anything bright green or orange just because it’s Halloween. I wanted something that would pair well with Skittles or Starbursts and immediately thought of cherry and lemon! The bourbon and spiced cherry bitters adds depth and classic fall flavors to this cocktail, plus the maraschino cherry garnish reminds me of candied apples!

I use bourbon as the base spirit for this sour, it’s my go to for fall cocktails! Bulleit is my favorite brand but Marker’s Mark or Woodford would also work really well. I wanted to highlight a cherry liqueur and decided I would go with a local liqueur from Buckeye Distillery in Tipp City, Ohio. To add just a little sweetness and tartness, I included a touch of simple syrup and lemon juice. I almost always complete my cocktails with bitters and spiced cherry was the perfect way to add a little depth to this cocktail.

Cherry Bourbon Sour

Ingredients:

2oz – Bourbon

3/4oz – Cherry Liqueur

1/2oz – Fresh Lemon Juice

1/4oz – Simple Syrup

3 Dashes Spiced Cherry Bitters

Combine ingredients in cocktail shaker, fill with ice, shake until cold, and fine strain into couple glass. Garnish with three maraschino cherries on cocktail pin! I love a smaller coupe glass for this cocktail. A 5-6oz glass is perfect for this drink. I purchased this Libbey 5.5oz couple glasses on Amazon and I LOVE them! I highly recommend them and you can click on the image below to purchase them!